Eco-activists urged residents of Kryvyi Rih to take care of drinking and technical water supply, as well as personal safety and alternative water supply in emergency conditions.
Due to damage to the dam of the Kakhovskaya HPP, the water level in the reservoir has dropped by approximately 1.4 meters, which carries the risk of limiting water supply, irrigation of fields, and also threatens the ecosystem of the reservoir and the operation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, reports the public organization "Enough to Poison Kryvyi Rih".
"Currently, we only have information from open sources and analysis of testimonies of local residents. Therefore, our forecasts are not a mandatory scenario, but one of the possible options for the development of events, the authors emphasized.
They said that in January, Russian enemy troops damaged the structures on the Kakhovskaya HPP dam, which international law qualifies as a war crime against the civilian population and the environment. Due to the occupation and hostilities, it is currently impossible to repair the dam.
"Due to the damage to the locks of the Kakhovskaya HPP, the last 2 months have seen a gradual decrease in the water level in the Kakhovskaya reservoir. In the dynamics of the last month, the water level in the reservoir bowl fell from 0.4 to 1.4-1.6 meters (according to various expert assessments and photo analysis citizens)," said Maksym Soroka, an environmental safety expert.
He assumed that the loss of the balance reserve of water in the reservoir reaches 10%. This forces us to consider the worst case scenarios.
"Every day we lose thousands of cubic meters of water reserves. We are witnessing another act of humanitarian and environmental terrorism by Russia, which uses "big water" as a weapon and a factor in the man-made and ecological disaster in the south of Ukraine," eco-activists emphasized.
They explained that water from the Kakhov reservoir is used for a number of domestic and industrial needs. Such losses may result in limitation and termination of:
- water supply to the population;
- irrigation of agricultural land in the south, thus threatening a food crisis, crop failure, losses and bankruptcy for small agricultural enterprises.
It is noted that the cooling system of the Zaporizhzhya NPP is inextricably linked with the Kakhovsky Reservoir. The lowering of the water level poses a threat to the safety of the station, which is another manifestation of nuclear terrorism along with the occupation of Energodar and the territory of the ZNPP.
"Damage to the hydrotechnical structures of the Kakhovka HPP and the impossibility of their restoration will lead to a significant shortage of water supplies in the summer of 2023," the authors emphasized.
They added that the limitation of water supply in the communities of southern Ukraine is one of the most visible and tangible man-made consequences in the short term.
However, Soroka emphasized that the critical situation is at least 4-6 weeks away. The dynamics of the water level decrease indicate that the reservoir will reach the mark of "intact" water supply in 3 months.
Eco-activists prepared advice on how to prepare for possible problems with water supply for families in Kryvyi Rih and urged them to prepare at least according to the "red level".
"Family Readiness Checklist"
Red (mandatory) level:
- intact supply of bottled drinking water;
- the main supply of drinking/tap water – to be renewed every 3-5 days;
- the main supply of technical/tap water – to be renewed every 5-7 days;
- stock of wet wipes/towels;
- stock of disposable dishes.
Yellow level:
- household filter;
- technical containers of 5-7 liters for filtering, settling, disinfection;
- stock of disinfectants (1-2 packs of "chlorine", iodine, special agents, activated carbon (1g/1l);
- 5 ml syringes for dosing.
Blue level:
- find places for alternative sources of water (local streams, wells, rivers, wells, "points of unbreakability").
Formulas for calculating water reserves per person:
- intact water supply – 2 liters for 2-3 days;
- the main supply of drinking water – 1.5 liters for 3 days;
- the main supply of technical water – 5 liters for 3 days;
- supply of wet wipes – 20 units. for 5 days;
- stock of activated carbon – 10 packages for 3-5 days;
- dose of "chlorine" for technical needs – 2 ml per liter of water (contact time 1 hour);
- the dose of "chlorine" for drinking needs – 1 ml per liter of water (contact time 1 hour);
- boiling – at least 30 minutes.
It was noted in the material that a drop in the water level can lead to the drying out of spring spawning grounds and winter hibernation sites. However, in the spring and post-flood period, a new assessment and understanding of the risks to the reservoir must be made.
Earleir, EcoPolitic wrote, that, in Kryvyi Rih, eco-activists discovered that only 3 out of 12 alternative sources of water in the city are conditionally suitable for sanitary and household needs.
Also, EcoPolitics has completed research on the quality of drinking water in pumping stations, rivers and lakes in Kyiv and the region.
As previously reported, EcoPolitics completed research on the quality of drinking water in pumping stations, rivers and lakes of Kyiv and the region.
